Eminem Goes ‘Berzerk’ Sampling Billy Squier’s ‘The Stroke’

Even the clean-shaven Eminem seems to be obsessed with Rick Rubin‘s thicket of facial hair.

“Grow your beard out, just weird out and go berserk all night long,” goes the chant on his new track “Berzerk,” a boiling stew of old-school ingredients, including Rubin himself, the hirsute architect of ’80s hip-hop who produced “Berzerk” for Eminem.

Some of Rubin’s old handiwork, a sample of the Beastie Boys‘ indelible “kick it!”, spikes this rock-driven track. Other time-capsule elements include Eminem’s lyrical references to Public Enemy, Kangol hats and former N.W.A. member MC Ren. One of the track’s biggest hooks is the crunchy guitar riff and vocal sampled from Billy Squier’s 1981 hit “The Stroke,” which for all we know Rubin has been dying to use since “Licensed to Ill.”

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